What Does Rasterbate Mean?

Rasterbate is the technical term for tiled printing. Tiled printing happens when your computer allows you to print an image that is larger than a standard page. For example, rather than have a large image made in a print shop, you could instead print it in sections on regular paper. Once everything has been printed, you then assemble the sections together like a puzzle to recreate the larger image.

Tiled Printing

Rasterbate is derived from the 'Rasterbator,' a popular tile printing computer program. This, however, is not the only computer program available for tile printing. In fact, programs that have enabled this art form have existed since the early days of the personal computer. During that period, images were created in shades of gray that appeared to create a smooth picture when viewed from far away.

The Art of Rasterbating

Rasterbate exists primarily as an art form and is rarely used for commercial purposes. Today's ink jet printers now makes it possible for users to create full color tile prints without sacrificing the resolution and quality. The current world record for the largest rasterbate ever created was made out of over 1500 pieces of 8.5" by 11" paper.